New York City Education Laws Create Financial Strain
Education laws that favor unions are costing New York City a significant amount—billions, in fact. Yet, Mayor Zoran Mamdani isn’t planning to request any changes to these expensive regulations from Albany.
While he’s advocating for tax hikes to bridge a daunting $5.4 billion budget gap, Mamdani is also suggesting a $3 billion increase for the Department of Education, primarily to expand funding for the state’s Class Size Reduction Act.
His initial budget proposal, revealed recently, allocates nearly $543 million in additional city funds next year aimed at reducing class sizes, a figure that could rise to about $943 million annually over the next three years.
“Mandatory class size reductions are costly. We really should amend the law,” commented Iatin Chu, co-chair of Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education.
In 2022, a law was passed requiring the city to limit class sizes to a maximum of 20 in lower grades and 25 in high schools, a move that Mamdani’s predecessor, Eric Adams, criticized as an unfunded mandate.
For schools, 80% of classes must meet these standards in the upcoming academic year, with full compliance expected by 2027-28.
Critics argue this law is impractical and largely serves as job protection for teachers, rather than focusing on actual academic improvements.
“Congress voted to reduce class sizes to protect the revenue of the UFT,” said Daniela Souza, an education researcher at the Manhattan Institute. “This law has had a detrimental effect on many schools. Those that haven’t reduced class sizes—about one-third—struggle to recruit qualified teachers or find enough space.”
Eric Nadelstern, former vice chancellor under Mayor Bloomberg, pointed out that while lawsuits against such mandates are feasible, they should be reasonable.
“Loading cities with unfunded mandates isn’t smart,” he said.
Mamdani, who supported this law as a state legislator and mayoral candidate, hasn’t called for its suspension or rollback. Instead, he has urged government officials to raise taxes on the wealthy. If not, property taxes might have to rise by 9.5% for all New Yorkers.
Looking at the fiscal plan for 2027, the Department of Education’s budget will increase by $3 billion, reaching a total of $38 billion, largely due to rising enrollment numbers in public schools since the pandemic.
In the 2019-20 school year, public school enrollment was around 1,002,200, but this year’s figure dropped to 844,400—a loss of 117,800 students.
Interestingly, wealthier schools often have larger class sizes while still performing well academically, leading some to suggest that the law disproportionately favors affluent schools, creating instability and increased costs for others.
For instance, Center School, located on the Upper West Side, has faced the possibility of relocation due to class size regulations.
Souza noted that the more critical issue is not overcrowding, but the growing number of empty schools. Currently, there are 112 schools in the city with fewer than 150 students, a jump from 80 last year.
He argues that Mamdani needs to consider downsizing, closing, or consolidating schools to match the current student population and cut costs.
Nadelstern suggested that the Department of Education could better handle compliance by reallocating licensed teachers from administrative roles back to classrooms. He noted that in some Title I schools, which predominantly serve disadvantaged students, about one-third of licensed teachers aren’t teaching full-time.
Mamdani’s director for education, Kamal Samuels, contended that hiring thousands of teachers to comply with these mandates would be a “herculean task.” He mentioned a departmental study suggesting that schools would need to add 6,000 teachers at a cost of $602 million.
“This has been our top recruiting goal since the law passed, but the volume of required candidates far exceeds what we currently have available,” Samuels stated.
A prominent lawmaker backing the class size law indicated there would be no intent to weaken it, asserting that mayors must adhere to it.
“State funding for NYC schools has increased by $1.6 billion annually since the Class Size Act was passed, yet past administrations have mismanaged those funds,” emphasized State Sen. John Liu. “It’s our obligation to ensure that all New York City children receive a sound education without overcrowded classrooms.”
UFT President Michael Mulgrew supported the class size laws, citing that smaller classes foster better connections between students and teachers. “Parents report noticeable improvements socially and academically due to smaller class sizes,” he remarked. “Every student in New York City deserves the same advantages that children in other areas receive.”
